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May 2020 Edition 5  I’m always looking to share my gift and the life hacks that I use in my daily life that help me to live my best life. I know it can be overwhelming between working a full-time job, managing life, and trying to keep up with the kids. Then throw in the need to actually eat and sleep and things can get lost in the shuffle really fast. Here are some of my favorite life hacks that help me be a more organized.  1. Have a Informational Central To-do List I am just going to start out by saying that I love, love, love making lists. This comes naturally to me, it helps me to brain dump and know what I need to get done. I also get this weird satisfaction from crossing things off my lists when they are complete. I know there are many other ways to keeps your life and to-do's in order. Their are apps, software programs, reminders on your phone. What ever works best for you, just choose ONE and stick with it. You need one place that collects all your thoughts and helps you to make sure things are getting done. 2. Use a Calendar & Get the Whole Family on Board Having a family calendar is super important. I have ours on our fridge and update it every Sunday with everyone's schedule. Having a family calendar is a great way to make sure that everyone is one the same page. The thing that I love the most about having a family calendar is that I am no longer the sole person in charge of remembering everything. It’s all too easy for us busy moms to end up being the information hub of the whole family where everyone relies on us to keep everyone on schedule. Fight that urge to settle into that familiar routine!  3. Create a Night Time Routine I know it is super hard to have a night time routine now that things have changed. Hopefully we will be back to a set schedule soon. I have been trying to stick to my normal night time schedule, even during this pandemic. It will be easier when I get back to my early mornings and longer work days. I have a alarm on my iPhone that reminds me 15 minutes before I need to start getting ready for bed. I wash my face, brush my teeth and put my pj's on. I take a moment to write in my journal the things in my day that I am grateful for. This helps me to stay positive and go to bed on a happy note. For all of you who have a hard time going right to bed. Try to listening to soothing music or nature sounds. I listen to Best Relaxing Spa Music Radio on Pandora. I fall right to sleep. Our night routine makes or breaks the entire following day. Whether we got enough sleep or end up feeling groggy and unproductive all day. Try to go to bed at the same time each night. You will appreciate it in the A.M. 4. Wake up Early There is nothing like those quiet moments in the morning when no one else is awake. My day always feels like it’s off to a great start when I’ve done my mediation, work out and made my protein shake before 8:00 am. Having some YOU time and self care before you have to give so much of yourself during the day in invaluable. Do not feel guilty about it!!! We can not effectively help anyone else if we can not help ourselves first.  5. Everyone Helps Out! The more tasks that you can clear off of your plate, the easier it becomes to be more organized. Several of the items on this list are aimed at lightening your load but this one is the most important and potentially the hardest. Sometimes it feels a lot easier to just do it yourself the right way than to have to police the kiddos into getting their chores done. But it absolutely is worth giving your children the opportunity to grow into their independence by giving them age appropriate chores as early as possible (like 2-3 years old). The same holds true for our partners in crime. When each of you have designated tasks that you are responsible for it goes a long way towards avoiding burnout and resentment. And, personally, I find that a man that can cook, do laundry, and wrangle the kids while I handle some other household stuff is hella sexy! 6. Practice Minimalism Over the years we all accumulate a lot of stuff. That stuff takes a lot of time and energy to manage. The fewer things we have the easier it is to stay organized. So from time to time you should set aside an hour to go through a drawer, cabinet, or closet and purge the things that no longer bring you joy. If your family budget can afford it, it is absolutely worth considering hiring a professional organizer to help to create functional, organized spaces in your home. I may be a little bias but hiring a professional organizer is life changing. I know this to be true because it has helped me in my own household and I hear it from all of my clients. I understand minimalism does not come natural to everyone BUT if it is important to you make a honest effort. Starting with working on being intentional about the items (and people) that you bring into your life and those that you allow to stay there.  Remember…. Organize to Maximize Space!!
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April 2020 Edition 4 So between going through organizing withdrawals and Phoenix weather deciding to turn up the heat. It was time to tackle my closet. I love my clothes and shoes but it was once again time to do some purging and reorganizing. This is what I consider a good time but I know I am not the norm. Keep reading for a step by step process to getting the closet summer ready. In order to help you guys through the summer closet cleaning process, here are some steps to make de-cluttering your closet easier. The first step in organizing is cleaning out the items that are simply taking up space. So many of us have trouble getting rid of belongings because we feel that we will wear them sometime in the future. Or the clothing holds some sentimental reasons. It's okay to let it go!!! 1. FIND AN EMPTY AREA & TAKE EVERYTHING OUT OF YOUR CLOSET You will take everything out of your closet and that clothes need to go somewhere, so find an empty area where you’ll put the clothes. This also means taking out the items that don’t really belong in your closet! If you really want to know how to organize your closet you’re going to have to get rid of some bad habits, like stuffing everything that we don’t want to see in the closet! Divide your items by season.It can be pretty overwhelming to sort through every article of clothing all at once, so make things easier by dividing your clothes into three piles by season: winter, summer and fall/spring. This way, you can focus on smaller groupings of items instead of trying to tackle your closet as a whole all at once. 2. LOOK AT EACH PIECE OF CLOTHING OBJECTIVELY. Now, here comes the fun part going through each item and deciding what to keep and what to toss. There are certain qualities the clothing piece must have to pass the test for the keep pile. In order to keep yourself objective, ask yourself the following questions: Do I love the item and can’t live without it? Is the particular item flattering? How often do I wear this item? Does this item represent my current style?  Once you have sorted through all your items, go through your “maybe” pile one more time and repeat the process. Still can’t make up your mind? Call up a friend and ask for their honest opinion on the questionable item. Now that you’re done, it’s time to organize your closet for summer! This begins with storing all your “winter” stuff that you won’t be wearing for at least three or four more months. There are many ways to store winter items for the season. Since downsizing last year, I now have a smaller closet and store my off season clothes in a under-bed storage boxes, which live under my bed. This is a great space saver and storage area. It is like Christmas each time you pull it out for the new season.  3. PUT EVERYTHING BACK IN YOUR CLOSET IN AN ORGANIZED WAYOnce you got rid of the items you no longer want there are many ways you can organize your clothes. The way you organize your closet really depends on your situation and preferences. I arrange my closet by category, for example; blazers, shirts, dresses, jeans, shorts, and so on. After arranging based on category, I organize my closet by color starting with light and going to dark. Here are 4 different ways to organize your closet. Select the one that suits you best.
 DON’T FREAK OUT....The last point I will make is to not freak out! When I am in the last step of organizing my closet, I try to keep in mind that the clothes I am not keeping are not being kept for a reason. Either the piece didn’t quite fit, it didn’t flatter my figure or my personality, or simply didn’t make me feel confident.  4. REMOVING THE UNWANTED ITEMS
The very last step in clearing away the leftover, unwanted items is deciding where to send them. I usually donate my undesired pieces. Other pieces, that may still have some dollar value left in them, I end up selling. Another thing to consider is giving them to friends or family. If you had your best friend helping you organize and they thought some of the items were exceptionally cute, why not give it to them? It’s a great personal way to say thank you. I hope these steps have helped you answer how to organize your closet!   March 2020 Edition 3 The second Tuesday in March is Organize Your Home Office Day. The home office is probably number 2 on the list of rooms in the home that need a organizational system. This is behind the kitchen, which is the most used room in the home. Our home office is where we usually go to hide out and get some work done. Or you can be like some of my organizing clients and have to move to the kitchen table or counter because your desk is housing mountains of paperwork and unopened mail. Well I am here to give you 5 hacks on how to get your home office organized!! 1. Purge Paper. It's easy to let papers pile up in your home office. Get control of the clutter before it takes over your space. Go through every piece of paper in your office by using the System of Three: shred/toss it, file it or take action from it. File your important paperwork in a color-coded filing system. 2. Color-Code Your Filing System. A well-organized filing system is a good indication of a functional office space. To organize, separate the filing system into five color-coded categories: Label each hanging folder according to your needs.
The first two weeks in March is National Procrastination Week. Take this week to celebrate Organize Your Office Day by NOT procrastinating and jumping in there and getting it done. You can do it!!Five Main Reasons For Procrastination 1. Perfectionism 2. Dislike task 3. Too tired 4. Fear of failure, success, or finishing 5. Not part of goals “Procrastination is the bad habit of putting off until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday.” – Napoleon Hill Five Ways To Avoid Procrastination 1. Find the answer to ‘What’s In It For Me.” 2. Chunk your time – set a timer. 3. Watch out for time gobblers – internet, email, TV, phone, socializing, unimportant notices and forwards. 4. Delegate when the task is not part of your priority. 5. Make it fun by rewarding yourself. Remember…. Organize to Maximize Space!!   Is a Professional Organizer Needed to Sell your Home? February 2020 Edition 2 Many people would not include hiring a professional organizer as a top priority when selling a home. Why wouldn't you hire a professional organizer to stage your home? Here are some reasons why you should....
 Eclectic Living Spaces 10 MINUTE CLEANUP  - Take 10 minutes each evening to return things to their proper homes. - Assign a home for every object - Put away what you take out - Keep similar items together - Label things so there's no confusion about where to put things -"in/out" rule- buy something new, discard something old Remember….Organize to Maximize Space!! |
AuthorSarah Nieto- Founder and Owner of Eclectic Living Spaces 
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